Vapi, Gujarat, May 21, 2021: With surging cases of Covid-19 in India and the increased demand for medical-grade oxygen, Bayer, a global life science company with 125 years of presence in India, has set up an Oxygen Plant at the Haria L.G. Rotary Hospital in Vapi, Gujarat. The Oxygen Plant was officially commissioned today and handed over by Narendra Shah, Director & Site Manager, Bayer Vapi Pvt. Ltd. to Dr.S.S.Singh, Superintendent, Haria L.G. Rotary Hospital, Vapi.

Bayer set up the Oxygen Plant in a record time of three weeks’ by converting its existing 200 NM³ per hour Nitrogen Plant at its Vapi site to manufacture medical-grade oxygen with a purity level of 91 to 93%. The plant has a capacity of ~35 NM³ per hour of Oxygen (1.18 metric tons per day), and will provide round-the-clock oxygen supply for the treatment of patients ailing with Covid-19. With the additional oxygen capacities, upto 50 beds can be supported with an uninterrupted 10 litres per minute flow of high quality medical-grade oxygen. In addition, the plant will have an oxygen storage tank with a capacity of 2 kilo litres.

Speaking about the initiative, Narendra Shah, Director & Site Manager, Bayer Vapi Pvt. Ltd., said, “We want to extend our support towards India’s fight against Covid-19. The set up of the oxygen generating plant at the Haria L.G. Rotary Hospital is a small step in this direction, to contribute towards safeguarding the health & lives of patients in Vapi and neighboring cities. We are fully committed to support our employees, stakeholders and local communities to emerge stronger together from the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic."

The Haria L.G. Rotary Hospital at Vapi in Gujarat, has 200 beds in total, of which 52 beds are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The hospital has dedicated 75 beds for treatment of Covid-19 patients. “Until now, we were dependent on private contractors for supply of oxygen cylinders and were facing multiple challenges for replenishing supplies. We are very grateful to Bayer for their end-to-end support from setting up of the Oxygen Plant, to testing, training and deployment. This in-house oxygen facility will help us treat critically-ill patients with more confidence and will expand our infrastructure to make us better equipped for future requirements," said Dr.S.S.Singh, Director, Medical Services, Haria L.G. Rotary Hospital, Vapi.

Besides setting up the Oxygen Plant, Bayer has conducted a detailed risk assessment, multiple trials and quality control tests to ensure the correct pressure is maintained in the oxygen supply pipeline and there are no leakages. The purity of the oxygen manufactured at the plant has also been tested by a laboratory to conform to required specifications of medical-grade oxygen used in hospitals. This project is a part of Bayer’s larger Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives across India to fight the surge of Covid-19. Bayer has also distributed three-ply masks to frontline workers and oxygen concentrators to Primary Health Centers to serve local communities in need.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Media Contact

Saswati Panigrahi

Communications, Bayer Group in India

E-mail: saswati.panigrahi@bayer.com

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